Your phone will become your car key

Demonstrated on a concept version of Hyundai’s popular i30 in Germany, the smartphone integration technology will be available to car buyers in two years.

Rather than using Bluetooth, the system uses wireless Near Field Communication (NFC), allowing you to lock and unlock the car by waving your phone over a small tag on the car window.

Inside the car, you place the phone on a pad in the centre console that wirelessly charges it while the content is synced and streamed to the car’s infotainment system and touchscreen.

The system can also store in-car preferences, including radio stations, seating positions and even mirror adjustment – with multiple profiles able to be saved for different drivers.

Hyundai said development the system was part of the carmaker’s aim of producing technology for the mainstream consumer. "The Connectivity Concept showcases Hyundai’s philosophy of making tomorrow’s technology accessible to a wide range of customers,” Hyundai Motor Europe chief operating officer Allan Rushforth said in a statement.

“With this technology, Hyundai is able to harness the all-in-one functionality of existing smartphone technology and integrating it into everyday driving in a seamless fashion."

Hyundai plans to offer the smartphone system on cars in 2015, and says it is also working on improved reversing cameras and lane departure alert systems with similar technology.